A systematic review covering studies published between 1986 and 2008 has found schizophrenic women seem to have a higher chance of getting breast cancer than those who do not suffer from psychosis. However there was no indication of what the risk factor or factors might be that leads to the higher prevalence. The study is an online ahead of print publication the journal Schizophrenia Research.
Thirty eight children who received cognitive behavioural family-based therapy (CBFT) seven years ago have been reassessed to measure the long term effectiveness of their treatment. The Australian study published in the Jounal of Anxiety Disorders concluded that CBFT was still effective for childhood Obsessive Compulsive Disorders after seven years.
Statistics released yesterday give further information on cocaine addiction. Previous research had indicted a rise in hospital admissions due to cocaine abuse; now the newest data indicates a rise by 20% in deaths attributable to cocaine. This figure is the highest for eight years.
A new study is investigating whether suncreen lotions and oils play any part in the development of Alzheimer's Disease. The European Union has funded researchers at The University of Ulster to investigate whether human engineered nanoparticles found in sunscreens can induce dementias and Parkinsons. The research project has been awarded £350,000 and is likely to run for three years.
A new report published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Psychiatric Association has recommended new guidelines for treating pregnant women who are suffering from depression. The report based on research findings will be published in both the September issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology and the September issue of General Hospital Psychiatry.
A new study on depression and the delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been published in The Lancet. Researchers from the University of Bristol studied 297 depression sufferers, of whom half received conventional CBT and half received online CBT. Their findings showed that the online therapy was more beneficial than the face-to-face option.
The interim report of the The Boorman review into the health and wellbeing of NHS staff has just been published. It has warned that staff are being bullied and harrassed in the workplace which is resulting in high levels of distress.
A study published in the journal Psychiatry Research has found that schizophrenics have problems dealing with fearful emotions. Researchers studied and compared results from sixty people, half who were suffering from schizophrenia.
A study published in Science magazine observed the behaviour of Capuchin monkeys and consequently how social bonds are formed. Researchers found that the monkeys prefered the company of the scientists who, when interacting with them, mimicked their own actions.
The European Council for Optometry and Optics has advised that Down's Syndrome patients should have regular eye tests. New research published in Optometry and Vision Science has found that the structure of the eyes of people with Down's Syndrome differs significantly from people who do not have the syndrome.
A leading charity, the British Heart Foundation, has responded to a study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology which investigated the prevalence of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients who had suffered heart attacks. The charity's spokesmen said it was vital that rehabilitation programmes were better funded to ensure both mental and physical recovery could be achieved.
Data from World Health Organization (WHO) surveys covering 100,000 people from twenty one countries has been analysed by US researchers from Harvard University. The authors looked at how mental disorders affected the occurances of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.
A survey conducted at St Patrick's University Hospital in Ireland has concluded that 1 out of 10 people who have a mental illness do so in silence for up to a year before they ask for help. Feelings of shame and fear of the stigma attached to mental illnesses meant that sufferers would not even discuss their problems with their closest friends.
An American study to be published in the August 9th online edition of the journal Stroke says that using a combination of antidepressants with cognitive behavioural therapy improves the recovery from clinical depression for patients who have suffered a stroke. The research found that after eight weeks, within a cohort of 101 patients, the decrease in depression scores was 47% for those on combined treatment compared to 32% for those who had received standard care.
A Danish study in the Archives of General Psychiatry has found that whilst the instances of myocardial infarction for patients with severe psychiatric problems is comparable with the rest of the population, mortality rates are much higher for these patients.The Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Trust is establishing a pioneering £13.7 million dementia centre. The new and unique dementia intensive care unit will be built at the Julian Hospital site in Nowich and will extend the present provision at Hellesdon Hospital site. The extra beds are in expectation of the likely rise in cases of dementia in the future.
